At least 139 journalists and 21 media outlets in Mexico suffered violence related to their work in 2010, a year in which violence against them media grew and drug traffickers were not the only perpetrators, says the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET) in its annual report.
The document (PDF file) reports that nine media workers were killed, three more disappeared, and two fled the country after receiving death threats.
In 2010, “the criminals moved from threats and coverage demands, which many media outlets had learned to live with, to a new contents in which criminal groups started kidnapping journalists on the job to use them as currency to demand their employers broadcast their messages,” the report explains.
While the majority of the attacks were perpetrated by individuals linked to drug trafficking, a growing number cases (33 in 2010) represent acts of violence committed by members of the military and the police.
CEPET president Francisco Vidal said the media also needs to do its part to end the climate of violence in the country. This includes implementing practices that promote journalist safety and ending the use of the “war language” that dominates media coverage, both in terms of words and bloody images.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
